Early Friday, deputies Vincent Mascitelli and Gregory Locke were leaving the store when they saw a woman waving her hands and yelling for help at the gas pump. As they approached the woman, they saw a man holding his throat with both hands and turning pale.

Mascitelli performed the Heimlich maneuver while Locke called for help. As the deputy performed the third abdominal thrust, the food blocking the man's airway dislodged.

The victim and his wife declined further treatment once the man started breathing normally.

The deputies said the couple repeatedly thanked them for saving his life.